My "Spoker D" is HERE!!
I did not know much about diecast toys or Ertl...but I am starting to learn, my findings so far is Ertl has lower price "Toy grade" intending to meet a price point and ment for children to play with...you will find these in a Farm Fleet type store and some large dept toy stores...but Ertl recognize adult collectors are willing to pay more for quality. Ertl offers Several grades of quality and I have not decoded all the grades...yet...but this is a "club expo viii" grade...it is Very nice!!
The steel wheels turn smoothly...more importantly to me the Spokes flywheel turns very smooth with LESS than.002 run out at the edge of flywheel!
Also the axle goes thru and spins the belt side...this is luck as lesser grades sometimes only spin the flywheel and the other side is cast "fixed"
Also the steering wheel turns the front wheels with very low effort and the john deere on the front is raised cast letters like original and not just a sticker....you pay more for all this detail but I got this off ebay and did not pay new price, it was not bad at all really.
So now for the conversion to steam drive...this model would "almost" work bone stock...However...I have enclosed a photo looking down on the flywheel and belt pulley, there is what we call in the diemaker trade "draft" on the flywheels most visible on the left belt pulley, it is taper needed to get the parts to eject cleanly from the mold, but the outboard side is smaller diameter than inboard. If I put a flat belt on this and spin the belt will climb towards the large end till it starts rubbing paint off the engine.
I can remove it and turn it in the lathe a nice slight crown in center. This will remove paint. I will ether need to respray JD green or polish to shiny metal...zinc will polish up "ok" but tends to dull quickly or worse yet oxidize...a chalky powder that looks awful...some grades of zinc diecast do not do this hardly at all, I do not know the grade Ertl uses...
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